Of Sumptuary Laws
The way by which our laws attempt to regulate idle and vain expenses in meat and clothes, seems to be quite contrary to the end designed. The true way would be to beget in men a contempt of silks and gold, as vain, frivolous, and useless; whereas we augment to them the honours, and enhance the value of such things, which, sure, is a very improper way to create a disgust. For to enact that none but princes shall eat turbot, shall wear velvet or gold lace, and interdict these things to the people, what is it but to bring them into a greater esteem, and to set every one more agog to eat and wear them? Let kings leave off these ensigns of grandeur; they have others enough besides; those excesses are more excusable in any other than a prince. We may learn by the example of several nations better ways of exterior distinction of quality (which, truly, I conceive to be very requisite in a state) enough,without fostering to this purpose such corruption and manifest inconvenience. It is strange how suddenly and with how much ease custom in these indifferent things establishes itself and becomes authority. We had scarce worn cloth a year, in compliance with the court, for the mourning of Henry II., but that silks were already grown into such contempt with every one, that a man so clad was presently concluded a citizen: silks were divided between the physicians and surgeons, and though all other people almost went in the same habit, there was, notwithstanding, in one thing or other, sufficient distinction of the several conditions of men. How suddenly do greasy chamois and linen doublets become the fashion in our armies, whilst all neatness and richness of habit fall into contempt? Let kings but lead the dance and begin to leave off this expense, and in a month the business will be done throughout the kingdom, without edict or ordinance; we shall all follow.
谈限制奢侈法
我们的法律试图管制在吃穿方面的铺张浪费，但所用的方法却似乎与其目的南辕北辙。真正的办法应该是使人从心底里蔑视丝绸和黄金,认为这些东西毫无用处、一钱不值;但我们却在拾高它们的身价，令它们更为高贵,如果说其目的是想让人们对这些东西产生厌恶感,这实在是一种下策。例如,规定只有君王才能吃大菱鲆、穿天鹅绒或镶金边的衣服,同时禁止平民百姓享用这些东西，这不是抬高它们的身价，让人们对吃、穿这些东西产生更强烈的欲望，又是什么呢?即使让君王们抛开这些高高在上的标志,他们也仍有其他的标志;那些过分的事只有君王们可以做,其他人都不允许。从其他几个国家的例子中,我们可以学到许多更好的从外表上显示我们卓越之处的方法(说实话,我认为这在一个国家中是势在必行的),而且不会因此而出现腐败现象和明显的不当之举。令人感到奇怪的是,在这些无关紧要的小事上,人们很容易形成习惯，并将其奉为金科玉律。为悼念亨利二世,我们遵从宫廷的命令戴孝一年,于是,绫罗绸缎在所有人的眼中便变得一文不值了;一个人倘若在此时穿着丝绸的衣服,肯定会被人当成普通百姓。在那个时期,只有内科和外科医生才会身穿绷缎。然而,即使所有人几乎都穿着同样的衣服，人与人之间在某些情形下还是有着许多明显区别的。否则的话,为什么在我们的军队里,肮脏的皮衣和亚麻布紧身衣会突然间成为一种时尚,而整洁、华贵的衣着风格却遭人蔑视呢?让君王们从自身做起，开始摒弃这种奢侈的习气,不用下旨，也无需法令，一个月之内这件事就会在整个王国内蔚然成风,我们大家也都会跟从照办的。
It should be rather proclaimed, on the contrary, that no one should wear scarlet or goldsmiths' work but courtesans and tumblers. Zeleucus by the like invention reclaimed the corrupted manners of the Locrians. His laws were, that no free woman should be allowed any more than one maid to follow her, unless she was drunk: nor was to stir out of the city by night, wear jewels of gold about her, oг go in an embroidered robe, unless she was a professed and public prostitute; that, bravos excepted, no man was to wear a gold ring, nor be seen in one of those effeminate robes woven in the city of Miletus. By which infamous exceptions he discreetly diverted his citizens from superfluities and permicious pleasures, and it was a project of great utility to attract them by honour and ambition to their duty and obedience.
Our kings can do what they please in such external reformations; their own inclination stands in this case for a law:
What princes themselves do, they seem to prescribe.
---Quintilian
反之,更应该明文规定的法律是,除了妓女和杂要艺人之外,任何人不得穿红色衣服和佩戴金饰品。査莱库就曾用这种办法使洛克里斯人改掉了腐败的生活习性。他颁布的法令规定:除非在醉酒的情况下,否则任何有自由身份的女子不得带有一名以上的侍女,也不得在夜间出城;除妓女之外,任何女子不得佩戴金银珠宝,也不许穿绣花裙子;除打手之外,任何男子不得戴金戒指,也不许穿米利都城出品的精制锦袍。就这样,通过这些声名狼藉的例外，他巧妙地使人们不再追求那些奢侈的物品和有害的乐趣了;以荣誉和野心将人们的注意力从那些事情上转移到尽责和服从上,是一个行之有效的方法。
君王们可以借助这种外在的变革来使万事遂心;在这一点上,他们的喜好就代表了法律。
君王们的所作所为都像是在颁布旨意。
——昆体良
Whatever is done at court passes for a rule through the rest of France. These great bellied doublets, that make us look like I know not what, and are so unfit to admit of arms; these long effeminate locks of hair; this foolish custom of kissing what we present to our equals, and our hands in saluting them, a ceremony in former times only due to princes. Let them not permit that a gentleman shall appear in place of respect without his sword, unbuttoned and untrussed, as though he came from the house of office; and that, contrary to the custom of our forefathers and the particular privilege of the nobles of this kingdom, we stand a long time bare to them in what place soever, and the same to a hundred others, so many tiercelets and quartelets of kings we have got nowadays and other like vicious innovations: they will see them all presently vanish and cried down. These are, it is true, but superficial errors; but they are of ill augury, and enough to inform us that the whole fabric is crazy and tottering, when we see the roughcast of our walls to cleave and split.
Plato in his Laws esteems nothing of more pestiferous consequence to his city than to give young men the liberty of introducing any change in their habits, gestures, dances, songs, and exercises, from one form to another; shifting from this to that, hunting after novelties, and applauding the inventors; by which means manners are corrupted and the old institutions come to be nauseated and despised. In all things, saving only in those that are evil, a change is to be feared; even the change of seasons, winds, viands, and humours.
王室的行事方式就是整个法国奉行的标准。那些腹部凸起的紧身衣，弄得我们不知变成了什么鬼样子,并且非常不便于佩戴刀剑;那长长的发辫弄得人人都像女人一样;还有那些愚蠢的习俗一一送给同辈的礼物要亲吻一下,向朋友致敬要吻手,这是以前只属于君王的礼节。贵族在向对方表示敬意时,不能摘下佩剑,衣冠不整,就像刚从厕所出来一样。此外,我们还违背祖先的习俗和王国贵族的特权，无论在什么地方,见了君王就得一直脱帽致敬，见到一百个其他国家的君王也要如此一一现在有许多这样的三、四等的小国君王。还有许多其他无益的做法,只要君王们不满意,就可将其喝止,使其立刻消失。这的确只是一些表面上的过失,但却令人有不祥之感;就像当我们看到墙壁上的灰层裂开的时候，就知道墙体已经受损、不稳了。
柏拉图在他的《法律篇》中谈到,任由年轻人在穿衣、举止、跳舞、唱歌和锻炼等方面随意改变方式,常常变来变去，一心追求新奇,还对发明新事物者推崇有加，这会对他的城邦造成最恶劣的影响,会因此而世风日下,所有传统的制度都会被弃如敝屣。除非是坏事,否则任何事物的变化总是会令人担忧的,即使是季节、风向、食物和性情的变化也是如此。
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